The award-winning Hitchin-based radio producer and engineer, Paul Arnold, was facing some tough times twelve months ago when he decided to throw his time, money and energy into creating a unique personalised musical greetings app. Paul brought his skills in audio production, music and interactive projects together to create AcoustiCards, an iPhone and iPad app that seamlessly mixes hundreds of options into its songs. Paul says: "Having an idea for an app, is in many ways, the modern equivalent of having an unfinished novel in a drawer somewhere. To see the smile on people's faces when they get to a line in the song that is perfect for them, that makes it all worthwhile.” The app has launched in time for Christmas, offering a quick, eco-friendly and unusual alternative to the traditional Christmas card, with 10p from every carol card sent donated to the UK charity Music As Therapy. The free AcoustiCards app is available on the Apple App Store now. More info at www.acousticards.com.

As Apple releases the latest version of its pioneering iPhone, the iPhone 5, on Friday, the business world can expect to benefit from its high-speed 4G capability.

This faster internet connection means that businesses will be able to rely more on the mobile phone as a business tool. The combination of the A6 processor with 4G will render the iPhone equally as fast as any broadband internet connection, making it possible to carry out the same tasks whether its user is at home or on the move.

Dan Wagner, CEO of mPowa, who relies on mobile broadband to deliver his service, said, “Its about time the UK progressed into the world of 4G. Our internet connection, be it on mobile or fixed location, has not been as fast as that of other international markets for quite some time now. It will dramatically enhance the competitiveness and efficiency of British companies in this ‘always on – always connected’ business landscape.”

Dan Wagner’s company mPowa is one of the most exciting products to benefit from mobile connectivity. mPowa is a company that has developed an innovative mobile payment device that connects to mobile phones and tablets. It allows the user to make and receive payments on their device easily and simply whilst mobile. It helps small businesses that are priced out of conventional card machines and benefits larger companies by mobilising their sales teams. This service will become even more advantageous with the introduction of 4G as companies will be able to make transactions on the move at high speeds.

Dan continued, “The iPhone 5 is a prime example of mobile devices evolving at an impressive rate that enables businesses to operate much more flexibly. Mobile phones are being used increasingly to accept payments, which will open up new avenues for businesses. In addition, mobile phone companies and software developers are creating apps that capitalise on faster connectivity, and tablets are becoming a more common fixture in business environments. We’re no longer being tied to our desks and with customers expecting a more responsive service, the tools we now have at our disposal will pave the way for better business.”

"1. LTE or not? The iPhone 5 LTE capability will have ‘less than expected’ impacton the 4G market, especially in Europe

It is not compatible with 800MHz and 2.6GHz LTE bands used by many operators across Europe

The LTE mobile tariff mark-up will be a deterrent for many user and non-LTE operators will price the iPhone 5 more competitively

Our research indicates that 46% of iPhone 4 users believe that they already have 4G. The question is how do you convince those customers to buy an LTE contract.

2. iOS 6 launch is more disruptive than new iPhone 5 features

Google Maps will lose up to a third of its mobile users in Western markets because of Apple’s alternative map service. According to our recent study in partnership with Arbitron Mobile Trends Panels, 28% of Google Maps users in France, Germany, Spain, UK and the US are on iOS. 3 out of 4 iOS users used Google Maps at least once over two months

Location information and mapping are at the forefront of application innovation. By offering its own map service, Apple will not only gain control over one of the most popular applications on its devices but it will also offer developers better and more integrated location-based tools for iOS

Apple’s Passbook will take mobile couponing to the next level. We estimate that 1/3 of smartphone owners use mobile coupons. With 435 million iTunes accounts, Apple could easily extend Passbook into a mobile payment application. This is something Google Wallet lacks.

3. Cheap iPhone 4 will make a serious dent in the mid-end smartphone segment, despite still being rated as a high-end smartphone

iPhone 4 will come free on a two year contract in the US, making it much more affordable for the mid-end segment

According to our forecast, there will be more prepay than contract customers converting to a smartphone in 2013 in Europe. This means that most of the smartphone sales growth will come from low/mid end customer segments

The iPhone 4 now retails at €400 which is a similar price point as Samsung’s Galaxy S2."